In any formal education, mathematics is a very important subject. This can be problematic later if your child doesn’t learn how to work with numbers. Unfortunately, most children are afraid of mathematics or simply hate it, which is why they don’t practice enough.
Did you know that almost 40% of American children feel that math is dull? Given the importance of math, how can you help your little one excel in this vast field? As a concerned parent, here are five useful tips for you to practice to help out your kid.
- Instill positivity in them
Before you even urge your children to touch the math book, you must tell them that it’s not a crime to be weak in a subject. Unfortunately, many parents often get frustrated and take out their anger by yelling at their children, which leads the latter to perform more poorly than before.
Try to be calm and explain to your children that even if they’re weak in a particular area, they can easily improve by working hard. Instilling positivity and confidence is the first key step toward success.
This will enable them to have a healthy mindset and not be afraid of math. Try rewards and incentives to get them more excited. Even if the progress is slow, you’ll still be able to see it.
- Take help from a tutor
A math tutor can be immensely useful when neither you nor your children want to sit down and practice sums. For example, if you reside in Australia, you can go for “Maths Words Not Squiggle.” My friend tried it and was immensely satisfied with how they helped her child.
This organization works with the best teachers to ensure that every child enrolled receives proper support and facilities. For children who are weak in math, MWNS will conduct individual classes.
Macro-groups of 3 students are also present, where children can interact with each other and learn fun ways to learn math!
- Figure out daily applications
Simply calculating numbers on pages can make any child bored and irritated. If you feel your child is falling behind in class simply because they don’t want to practice math, try to make learning fun by incorporating daily applications. This will be really easy because mathematics is a subject that has numerous applications in our day-to-day lives.
For example, ask your darling to calculate the grocery expenses when you go grocery shopping. Or tell them to pour half a liter of water from one jar to another. Each of these real-world applications can be made interesting because numbers are everywhere! Moreover, this will help your child to solidify their math knowledge.
- Practice with them every day
We understand that parents have a lot to do throughout the day, but if you just sit down with your child for an hour or two every evening, you’ll notice a marked improvement in their math skills.
We’ve all heard of the saying that practice makes perfect, right? Even if your child can’t be perfect, they can be pretty strong in math, which will be just as good!
So every day after your kid returns home from school, ask them what they were taught in math class and practice with them. If they get a sum or concept wrong, don’t get agitated. The more you interact with your child, the more you’ll get to know their problem areas.
- Ask them questions
Just as it’s important for a child to ask questions to their parents or teachers, it’s equally important for a parent to ask their child questions.
When you teach your child a new topic, ask them if they’ve understood the formulae and equations or not. Then, give them a few practice sums to see how far they’ve progressed. They will also be less apprehensive and scared if you keep asking questions.
This, in turn, will provide a positive learning environment where they’re no longer afraid of being weak. However, ensure that your line of questioning doesn’t demoralize your kid.
Over to you…
These are the five most important tricks to ensure your child becomes stronger in math. Further, you can also seek help from a friend or teach your child yourself.